Wall structure

ABSTRACT

A wall member of generally slab-like configuration is formed of a foamed polymer dispersed throughout a cementitious matrix between a pair of side panels and includes elongate reinforcing members secured under tension and rigid in the depth dimension of the slab. One end of the wall member is positioned in a groove formed in a floor, the floor normally being made of concrete material. Adjacent widths of the wall members may be interconnected in tandem by aligning hollow tubular members in each of the wall members and securing a structural metal rod through the hollow tubular members. Alternatively, a hollow channel member may be positioned on the top ends of the aligned tandem wall members. Structural rods are positioned through openings in the channel member and are used to secure the wall members together. In addition, an environmental seal formed of a gasket-like material may be positioned between abutting ends of the wall members.

United States Patent [1 1 Miller et a1.

[111 3,826,051 [451 July 30, 1974 WALL STRUCTURE [76] Inventors: Charles H. Miller, 54-065 Avenida Carranza, La Quinta, Calif. 92253; Jose A. Mayrl, Centenario 1222 San Pedra Garza, N. Leon, Mexico [22] Filed: June 7, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 260,640

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 191,276, Oct. 21,

[52] U.S. Cl 52/227, 52/241, 52/274, 52/403, 52/600 [51] Int. Cl. E04c 3/10, E04c 3/26 [58] Field of Search 52/227, 228, 262, 264., 52/341, 396, 393, 403, 225, 600, 227, 241, 274

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 705,127 7/1902 Payne 52/600 2,228,052 1/1941 Gardner..... 52/396 2,883,852 4/1959 Midby.... 52/241 3,002,322 10/1961 Dorsctt.. 52/227 3,258,888 7/1966 Lum 52/262v 3,331,173 7/1967 Elsner 52/309 3,363,378 l/l968 Palfey 52/309 3,423,891 l/1969 Burris 52/241 3,457,698 7/1969 Albers 52/225 3,562,985 2/1971 Nicosia 52/241 3,604,169 9/1971 Smith 52/396 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 513,907 10/1939 Great Britain 52/403 Primary ExaminerHenry C. Sutherland Attorney, Agent, or- FirmNilsson, Robbins, Bissell, Dalgarn & Berlinger [5 7] ABSTRACT securing a structural metal rod through the hollow tubular members. Alternatively, a hollow channel mem ber may be positioned on the top ends of the aligned tandem wall members. Structural rods are positioned through openings in the channel member and are used to secure the wall members together. In addition, an environmental seal formed of a gasket-like material may be positioned between abutting ends of the wall members.

1 Claim, 8 Drawing Figures WALL STRUCTURE CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 191,276, filed Oct. 21, 1971, entitled LIGHTWEIGHT REINFORCED STRUCTURAL MA- TERIAL.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The field of art to which the invention pertains includes the field of building materials and wall structures, particularly with respect'to cementitious materials and means for interconnecting adjacent panels which form the wall members.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Our United States patent application Ser. No. 191,276, filed Oct. 21, 1971 illustrates a structural board made of foamed polymer dispersed throughout a cementitious matrix forming a slab of structured material sandwiched between paper covered sheets or panels, and the disclosure of that application is incorporated herein by reference. Such plasterboard can be conveniently formed into sheets of 2 to 3 inches deep with a 3 foot width and a length of about 8 feet. Although other sizes can be provided the above mentioned size can be utilized for interior walls, floors and ceilings without the need for conventional two-by-four supports. In addition steel bands and/or ribbons are disposed under tension (from the foaming operation) within the slab so as to be relatively rigid in the depth dimension of the slab to structurally reinforce the board. The structural integrity of the board allows most building codes to be met in a simple fashion.

Numerous alignment and securement problems arise in positioning prior art wall members on a floor surface and in joining adjacent wall members. Conventional plasterboard is normally nailed to two-by-fours, but the purpose of the structural board describedabove is to eliminate two-by-four support structures, and thus the necessity for positioning the cementitious wall members in a correct position has required the development of new techniques in the construction industry.

In'order to overcome the attendant disadvantages of prior art wall structures, the present invention provides means in a floor surface for easily positioning the cementitious wall members. Channel members are provided for securing adjacent wall members to each other. Moreover, environmental sealing may be provided between the adjacent cementitious wall members.

Specifically, a wall member of generally slab-like configuration is provided formed of a foamed polymer dispersed throughout a cementitious matrix between a pair of sheets or panels and includes elongate reinforcing members secured under tension and rigid in the depth dimension of the slab. The bottom end of the wall member is positioned in a groove formed in a cement floor which enables the correct positioning of the wall member with respect to the floor. Adjacent widths of wall members may be joined in tandem by means of a hollow tube which extends throughout the width of a wall member and which is aligned with an adjacent hollow tube in the adjacent wall members. A structural rod is threaded through the adjacent wall members and is secured to maintain the adjacent wall members in alignment. Alternatively, a U-shaped channel member having longitudinal openings therethrough is positioned along the top edges of two or more tandemly adjacent wall members. Structural rods are then positioned through the channel openings. Brackets are provided at the ends of the channel members which abut the wall members and are used to secure the wall members in alignment. In addition, a sealing member may be provided between adjacent ends of wall members for providing an environmental seal therebetween.

The advantages of this invention, both as to its construction and mode of operation, will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like referenced numerals designate like parts through the figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective, partially cut-away view of a structural wall member which may be used with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a building structure embodying one form of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the top portions of wall members joined in accordance with principles of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a wall structure of FIG. 3 taken along the lines 4--4 of FIG. 3, in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is an end view, partially in section, of alternative embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a side view, partly in section, of the structure of FIG. 5 taken along lines 6-6 of FIG. 5, in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 7 is an illustrative view, partly in section, of a I pair of wall members joined together; and

FIG. 8 is an alternative embodiment of the arrangement of FIG. 7 for joining adjacent wall members.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION manufactured for use as wallboards the slab 12 has a' width dimension 18 of approximately 3 feet and a depth dimension 20 of approximately 2 inches. Normally the length of the board would vary with the size of the room with approximately 8' foot lengths being convenient. Alternately, of course other dimensions can be used as explained in the aforementioned patent application. Embedded in the slab 12 are a plurality of steel bands or ribbons 22 which are disposed perpendicularly with respect to the cover sheets 14 and 16 and spaced from the outer edges of the slab 12. By this disposition the steel bands have greater rigidity in the depth dimension 20 of the slab than in the width dimension and serve to resist compression, flexure, and deflection forces.

Referring now to FIG. 2,- there is shown one form of the invention wherein a plurality of the boards 10 are utilized as wallboards and as ceiling or roofing members. A conventional cement floor 32 which may be of slab or raised configuration is depicted having the wallboards positioned thereon. Grooves 36 are longitudinally formed in the top surface 34 of the concrete and have widths slightly larger than the depth dimension (FIG. 1) of the boards 10. Normally, the grooves 36 are formed when the concrete 32 is poured although they can be cut into the concrete subsequent to the hardening and forming of the concrete floor 32. Thus, the boards 10 can be utilized in previously constructed homes where reconstruction or remodeling of the home is being accomplished. The boards 10 are inserted into the concrete grooves 36 and normally a sealing putty or other sealer is positioned in the groove prior to insertion of the wallboards so as to provide a secure joint between the concrete floor and the boards 10. Importantly, the structural reinforcement of the boards enables their simple securement in the grooves 36.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, a plurality of boards 10 are joined together so as to form the desired length of a wall. A U-shaped metal channel 42 is positioned on, and overlaps, the top surfaces 44 of adjacent boards and constitutes an interconnection member for holding the adjacent boards together. A board member 46 which is similar in construction to the board 10 is utilized as a ceiling member or as the second story floor of the building. Normally, the ceiling or second floor member 46 will be made thicker than the wall members with 3 inches being the minimum thickness for the ceiling or floor 46 whereas 2 inches are considered satis factory for wall members. However, it should be understood that such dimensions are merely convenient and that in view of the relatively lightweight material, greater thicknesses can be used when desirable.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, there is shown an arrangement for securely positioning together wall or ceiling boards made in accordance with the configuration of FIG. 1. As can be more clearly shown in the cross-section of FIG. 4 the boards 52 of FIGS. 3 and 4 are made similar to the boards 10 of FIG. 1. However, the steel bands 54 of FIGS. 3 and 4 are offset somewhat to the right so that they are closer to one cover sheet 56 and spaced somewhat further from the opposite cover sheet 58. Running along the width dimension of the boards 52 in a plane perpendicular to the ribbons 54 are a plurality of hollow tubes 62. The tubes 62 have internal threads 64 near the ends of the board 52. When joining the board 52 of FIG. 3 to an adjacent, similarly constructed board 66, the boards are normally mounted in the floor groove, such as the groove 36 of FIG. 2, and the openings in adjacent hollow tubes 62 are aligned. A structural rod 68 is then passed through the tubes 62 in both boards 52 and 66 and threaded at opposite ends thereof. Continued rotation of the rod 68 will provide a tight joint between adjacent wallboards. Alternatively, the tubes 62 can be unthreaded and the threaded ends of the rod 68 fitted with suitably sized retaining washers and nuts. The rod 68 can of course be made long enough so that more than two wallboards can be joined together. It should be noted that 3 or 4 hollow tubes 62 are normally utilized in each wallboard to join adjacent boards together. In typical constructionthe hollow tube 62 has an outer diameter of approximately one-half inch and the inner diameter is such that a inch rod 68 is insertable therein.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, there is shown an alternative embodiment for securing together adjacent sections of wallboard. In the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6, the securing means are positioned externally of the wallboards and thus exact alignment as in FIGS. 3 and 4 is not necessary. In FIGS. 5 and 6 a channel member 72 comprises an outer generally U-shaped member 74 and an inner generally U-shaped member 76, joined together at the bottom ends thereof bylongitudinally extending plates 78 and 82 to form' an integral, elongate structure. Longitudinally extending openings 84 and 86 are thus provided between the side walls of the U-shaped members 74 and 76. The distance between adjacent side walls of the inner U- shaped member 76 are approximately equal to the thickness of a wall member 90 which may be of similar type construction as the wall member 10 of FIG. 1.

As can be more clearly seen in FIG. 6, at each end of the channel member 76, the top half of the outer U- shaped member 74 extends beyond the ends of the inner U-shaped member 76 a short distance (e.g., 1-2 inches) forming downwardly facing shoulders 91. Structural rods 92 and 94 are respectively inserted through the openings 84 and 86 between the U-shaped members 74 and 76. The rods 92 and 94 are threaded at their ends and estend along the lengths of the longitudinal openings 84 and 86, terminating approximately at the ends of the shoulders 91, as can be seen in FIG. 6. A bracket 96 is provided at each end and is formed with openings through which the rods 92 and 94 extend. The brackets 96 abut the opposite end surfaces of the wallboard 90 and the rods 92 and 94 are secured to the brackets 96 by means of nuts 102 and 104, respectively. Tightening of the nuts provides a means of securing together adjacent wallboards contained by the channel member 72. As illustrated in the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4 the rods 92 and 94 are sufficiently long so as to enable as many adjacent wallboard sections as is necessary to be joined together. The open construction provided by the vertical spacing between the inner and outer U-shaped members 76 and 74 provides a desirable measure of soundproofing between adjacent floors of a constructed building.

Referring specifically to FIG. 5, the wallboards 90 are inserted into grooves 106 formed in concrete floor members 108. These grooves 106 can be similar to the grooves 36 in the concrete floor 32 depicted in FIG. 2, but in another embodiment of the invention are formed with a truncated triangular cross-section. A putty or other type of cementitious mix 108 is utilized to form a tight fit between the bottom of the wallboard 90 and the floor 108. By providing a truncated triangular groove, a degree of flexibility is obtained in aligning the walls. As previously pointed out exact alignment of the wallboards is not necessary in the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6, as securing of the wallboards together is done entirely on the external top surface of the adjacent wallboards. Accordingly, the triangular groove 106 functions together with the channel member 72 to enable the walls to be rapidly assembled.

Referring now to FIG. 7, and in addition, back to FIG. 1, there is shown an embodiment for weatherproofing and sealing adjacent surfaces of wallboards. In FIG. 7 the end surface of adjacent wallboards 122 and 124 have positioned therebetween a gasket-like material 126 which may be formed of neoprene or similar type long lasting and weather sealing material. When the adjacent wallboards such as that depicted in FIG. 1-6 are secured together and tightened, the neoprene gasket material 126 forms as a tight seal so as to enable the adjacent wallboards to be completely weatherproofed. In place of plastic gasket material, one can use a hollow metal rod or pipe, e. g., of tin, which is crushed when pressed together to form the seal.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 an alternative structure is shown for sealing adjacent wallboards. In FIG. 8, a first wallboard 132 is joined to a second wallboard 134 and a gasket-like material 136 is utilized therebetween. The outer edge surfaces of the adjoining wallboards 132 and 134 are chamfered, at 138 and 142 so that when the boards 132 and 134 are drawn together by the mechanisms of FIGS. 3 or '6 the gasket material tends to enlarge at the outer edges of the wallboards and an enlarged seal is formed at the outer edges.

We claim:

1. A structure for interconnecting a plurality of adjacent widths of wallboard, comprising;

a hollow channel member defined by an outer U- shaped channel member and an inner U-shaped channel member coaxial with said outer channel member, the free ends of said U-shaped channel member being interconnected by a pair of channel wall members;

the spacing between said U-shaped members defining longitudinal openings, the inner surface of said inner U-shaped member being approximately equal to the width of a wallboard;

said channel member being positioned overlapping one end of said wallboards with said inner U- shaped member abutting the sides of said board;

at least one elongated structural rod extending through one of said longitudinal openings; and

means for securing said rod with respect to the outer ends of said wallboards to secure adjacent wallboards to each other. 

1. A structure for interconnecting a plurality of adjacent widths of wallboard, comprising; a hollow channel member defined by an outer U-shaped channel member and an inner U-shaped channel member coaxial with said outer channel member, the free ends of said U-shaped channel member being interconnected by a pair of channel wall members; the spacing between said U-shaped members defining longitudinal openings, the inner surface of said inner U-shaped member being approximately equal to the width of a wallboard; said channel member being positioned overlapping one end of said wallboards with said inner U-shaped member abutting the sides of said board; at least one elongated structural rod extending through one of said longitudinal openings; and means for securing said rod with respect to the outer ends of said wallboards to secure adjacent wallboards to each other. 